Began running casually in
primary school. Discovered talent on moving up secondary, where he had to run to
escape harassment by older boys.

1997

Finished 4th at 5000m in 1997
schools nationals.

1998

Finished 17th in 1998 Junior
World Cross trials.

Trained in earnest after
leaving Lelboinet Secondary School at end of 1998.

1999

2nd in 1999 Junior World
Cross trials, then 6th in Belfast World Cross.

Signed by KIM after 1999
World Cross trials. Immediately embarked on busy competitive schedule, mainly on
track, including Grand Prix final and six of seven Golden League meets, where he
recorded five top-5 finishes and the third best all-time junior mark at 5000m
(12:58.10 in Oslo GL), plus two marks under the listed World Junior Record at
3000m (7:35.08 in Paris GL; 7:34.58 in Brussels GL).

2000

Began 2000 with two wins on
European cross circuit and a silver medal just behind a determined John Kibowen
in senior 4 km race at World Cross in Vilamoura. A week later, obliterated
eight-year-old 5 km road best in Carlsbad, California (13:00, down from William
Mutwol's 13:12, also set in Carlsbad). Missed qualifying for Sydney Olympic team
by 0.6 seconds in wait-and-kick Kenya trials 5000 final, but again distinguished
himself on Grand Prix circuit, with seven top-3 finishes and a PR 12:54.07 at
5000 (then ranking him 9th all-time). Track & Field News put him at #2 at
5000 in its annual rankings.

2001

On successive weekends in
spring 2001, just missed medaling (4th) in muddy Ostend in World Cross 4 km
race, equaled own world road best winning Carlsbad 5 km and set new world road
best at 10 km (27:18) in Brunssum, Netherlands. Second at 5000 in Kenyan World
Championship trials. Ensured fast pace in Edmonton WC final by leading much of
race, but faded in closing stages; crossed line 7th (later 6th after Saidi Sief
doping DQ). Enlisted in Kenya Army on return from Edmonton.

2002

Emerged from Army basic
training in time for 2002 Armed Forces Cross Country; won 4 km race and repeated
victory in Kenyan World Cross trials. Finished 4th at 4 km in Dublin World
Cross. A week later improved own 10 km world road best (27:11) in New Orleans),
then won Carlsbad 5 km the next week. At African Military Championships in
Nairobi, won 5000, 2nd in 10,000. Busy Grand Prix season interrupted by
Commonwealth Games trials in Nairobi (3rd, 5000) and Games in Manchester, where
he collected first big international gold medal. Won Zurich GL 5000 in year's
second-fastest time (12:56.99) and recorded year's fastest 10.000 (26:49.38) in
Brussels in first international race at the distance. Ranked #1 in 10,000, #2 in
5000 and #5 in 3000 by T&FN, a display of range bettered only by Haile
Gebrselassie in recent years.

He experimented with the
25-lap distance on the track early in the 2002 season, taking second in the
African Military Games in Nairobi and winning the Kenya Armed Forces
Championship.

2003

Moved up in distance for 2003
cross country season, winning Armed Forces 12 km and fading to 4th in Kenya's
World Cross trials after pushing the pace a little too hard on hot day. He will
certainly be among the leaders in Lausanne.

In the Van Damme Golden
League meet in Brussels at the end of August, Kipketer pulled four men under 27
minutes and recorded the event's best time in four years (26:49.38), vaulting to
5th on the all-time list in his first serious attempt at the distance.

Sammy Kipketer thinks
he has finally found his distance. "I have
done well at other events,"he told the IAAF's
correspondent Phil Minshull,"but I always
suspected that 10,000 was going to be my distance, especially after I ran so
well on the roads."